Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Too much regulation

I felt sad and angry listening to this businessman, who owns two coal mines in Alabama. It reminds me of all the times in my life I would hear my dad (who owns a rock crushing company and lists "miner" as his occupation on his tax returns) complain about the excessive regulations the EPA has put on his business. The stupidest knit-picky things, like exactly how far the water source has to be from the quarry. There didn't seem to be a single person with common sense employed by that agency, just a lot of busybodies.

Here is what the coal mine owner, Ronnie Bryant, said at the Birmingham, Alabama public hearing:

“Nearly every day without fail…men stream to these [mining] operations looking for work in Walker County. They can’t pay their mortgage. They can’t pay their car note. They can’t feed their families. They don’t have health insurance. And as I stand here today, I just…you know…what’s the use? I got a permit to open up an underground coal mine that would employ probably 125 people. They’d be paid wages from $50,000 to $150,000 a year. We would consume probably $50 million to $60 million in consumables a year, putting more men to work. And my only idea today is to go home. What’s the use? I see these guys—I see them with tears in their eyes—looking for work. And if there’s so much opposition to these guys making a living, I feel like there’s no need in me putting out the effort to provide work for them. So…basically what I’ve decided is not to open the mine. I’m just quitting. Thank you.”

The Blaze contacted Bryant, and he remains as resolute as he was at last week’s public hearing. To him, it’s just not worth the time, money, and regulatory hassle to open up a new mine—even one located in a remote area with less environmental impact."